Please Stay
by Celestial Aurora
Summary: JA fic. Begins the day after Episode 17. Joan and Adam both learn the power of words and the consequences of actions. The story is better (and more original) than the summary so please R and R.
1. The Worst Day

Author's Note: This fic is by no means finished. Hell this chapter isn't even finished yet so if you like it the way it is you had better save it because I guarantee changes will be made in the future. Please read and respond. This fic is rated PG-13 for now but it will go up to R in the next couple of chapters.  
  
P.S. I absolutely love writing cliffhangers even though I really don't like reading them (for the obvious reason).  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Joan Girardi or Adam Rove. Iris I wouldn't take if you gave her to me (sorry I agree with Adam and Joan, her voice bugs me.) Also I use a line in this fic that is a blatant rip off of the movie Ten Things I Hate About You.  
  
Chapter 1: The Worst Day  
  
Joan made her way down the long corridor to her locker, moving slowly on the crutches and carefully side stepping people as they pushed each other to get past her. She was within sight of the small metal door when all of a sudden...Wham! Her crutches went flying and Joan landed with an audible thud right on her butt in the middle of the crowded hallway. Expecting to see the hand of the careless walker extended to help her stand, Joan looked up. Instead of a hand she saw a tear streaked face looming ominously above her. She froze when she realized to whom those tears belonged; when she realized who had pushed her.  
  
"Are you happy now?! You stole my boyfriend! You took the one good thing I had going in my life! YOU BITCH!" Iris's face contorted miserably as she screamed at the still immobile Joan. "I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU DIE, JOAN GIRARDI!" and with that Iris tore down the hallway in the opposite direction from which she had come, pushing through the crowd of spectators that had gathered around to watch the confrontation  
  
Joan stared, slack-jawed, at her retreating figure, not sure what to do or say or even think. What had Iris meant when she had said that Joan had stolen her boyfriend? What had happened between Iris and Adam that would make her explode like that? Joan had barely been lukewarm to Adam since he and Iris had been dating. She didn't want to acknowledge that she had lost her chance to be with Adam. Rather than trying to break them up or anything cruel like that, she had simply tried to pretend that they didn't exist. And her plan had, for the most part, been a success. Her interaction with Adam had remained on a fairly platonic level...until last night.  
  
Last night had been wonderful. His hands had been so gentle and caring that she couldn't have pulled away from his touch even if she had wanted to. And she sure as hell hadn't wanted to. Subtle waves of electricity had worked their way up to her heart from her battered ankle when he had so innocently and delicately played with her ace bandage. She'd felt like a real-life Cinderella when he tenderly replaced her old, worn in slipper back on her foot. But that was last night...what had happened here, just a moment ago, was confusing enough. 'I've got to talk to Adam,' Joan thought.  
  
Still recovering from shock, Joan failed to notice that someone had come up behind her and was standing, staring down the hallway that Iris had just run down.  
  
Adam's expression mirrored Joan's. He hadn't expected her to take their break up well but this was ridiculous. And she blamed Jane. Jane had so little to do with his decision it wasn't even funny. She hadn't even attempted to break them up, which had slightly bruised his ego. She had just left the two of them to figure things out for themselves. Of course Jane was added incentive for breaking up sooner rather than later but he had known for at least a week now that the time to end it was approaching. Last night had just been the final push he had needed to get himself into gear and stop dragging the whole ordeal out.  
  
Now he had to get it together. He had instigated this and he had to make sure that Iris didn't take her revenge any further. But first things first, he had to do the decent thing and help Joan up.  
  
Slowly, Adam held out his hand to Joan who remained oblivious to his presence. Noticing her lack of response, Adam, now unexplainably nervous, squatted down to Joan's level and tentatively brushed the back of his hand across her cheek.  
  
Joan's head whipped around and she found herself gazing into the deep pool's that made up Adam's eyes. Her pulsed raced as her breath left her lungs.  
  
"Are you ok, Jane? Do you want a hand?" Adam nearly whispered, again offering his hand to Joan.  
  
"Uhh.... Yeah...." was all that Joan could say but before she had time to kick herself for sounding like a loser, she was back on her feet, and crutches, and Adam was handing her backpack to her.  
  
"Do you think I should try to find her?" came Adam's barely audible question. His brow was now knit with worry at what Iris might do, to herself and to anyone who happened to cross her path. He may have broken up with her but that didn't mean that he didn't still care about her as a friend and he certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to her because of him.  
  
"I don't think now is a very good time to do that," Joan replied. "Besides, you and I have a serious conversation waiting to be had as well." As she said this, her eyes turned to steel as she tried to form her next question in her mind. But for all her efforts to gently get the message across, it still didn't come out right.  
  
"What did she mean that I stole her boyfriend? What did you do to her to make her flip out like that and come in here today accusing me of stealing you from her? What the hell is going on here?"  
  
Adam stood there, completely speechless. Was she actually trying to blame him for Iris' blow up? Well, if she thought she could do that, she had another think coming.  
  
"Yeah, Joan, what did poor stupid Adam do this time to piss someone off? Why don't you tell me because I'm not sure what I might have done. I tend to space out and forget everything that happens, ever. I broke up with Iris with the sole purpose being that I wanted to see her freak out at school and push the girl I lo...I mean my best friend, who is already injured, onto her ass. This was the master plan and as you can see it worked out just fine. The world makes sense again. Damn it all Joan! I didn't want this to happen and you're acting like I planned this." Adam spun around and began walking, nearly running, down the hall and out of the school. Just as he walked through the double doors to freedom, the bell rang.  
  
"Shit!" Joan swore as she sped down the hallway as fast as she could, hoping that her crutches slowing her down would be a good enough excuse to get her out of detention.  
  
"Miss Girardi. I'm surprised at you. I would have figured that you would have been happily dozing off in class by now." Principal Price's voice rang through the halls.  
  
She had made it to within five feet of the door to her AP Chemistry class before she realized she was doomed.  
  
"And don't even think I'll buy the excuse that you were slowed down by your crutches. Two days of detention for you. I'll see you tonight. Now get to class Miss Girardi." With justice having been served, Price turned around, with a smug smile on his face, and left Joan standing there alone.  
  
'Damn. This day just can't get any worse.' With that thought still ringing in her mind, Joan pushed the door to her chemistry class open. She glanced around the room at the rows of silent students bent over sheets of paper, writing furiously. Her ears were immediately greeted by the shrill voice of Ms. Lischak.  
  
"Thank you, Joan, for gracing us with your presence today. As you can see, you have a pop quiz to complete this period. Please sit down and join your classmates, that is if it's not too inconvenient for you."  
  
Her face burning with embarrassment, Joan mentally added Ms. Lischak to her hit list and worked her way to her desk. She quickly sat down and began to work her way through the quiz. But no matter how many times she read and reread the questions, they just didn't make any sense to her. Finally admitting defeat, Joan scribbled down some answers that made no sense and handed in the quiz just as the bell to end first period rang. Grateful to be through with her most grueling class of the day, Joan quickly grabbed her backpack and left the room.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, Joan?" The familiar voice sent a chill down Joan's spine. Only one person...well entity, could sound so demanding but still seem so innocent.  
  
With yet another sigh of resignation, Joan stopped and waited for the teenage boy dressed all in black to catch up with her before she continued down the hallway. The boy was sporting a dog collar and an apparently new nose piercing and his face was covered in white and black makeup so thick that it would make a clown sick.  
  
"Why ask? You know my schedule; first Chem. and then history." Joan responded. "And what is today's Mission from the Almighty?"  
  
Ignoring her usual attitude, Goth God quietly replied "You're going to skip the rest of your classes today."  
  
"WHAT! I can't do that! My Mom will kill me! There is NO way I'm skipping class." Joan proclaimed indignantly.  
  
"Well Joan, as with everything else I tell you to do, you have a choice but remember what happened the last time you didn't listen to me." God observed Joan's astonished expression. He'd never openly guilted her before, but this time it was different. This time she had to do what He told her to do the first time. If she didn't, she'd never forgive herself. "You're to skip your classes for the rest of the day and you're to go up to the roof of the school."  
  
"This is so unfair. If my parents find out that I skipped class, they'll ground me for a month. Possibly even a year. I mean, I already have detention. Isn't that good enough?"  
  
"Don't worry, Joan. You know that I always take care of you, especially when you think that things can't get any worse." With that reassurance, Goth God turned around and walked down the corridor. Joan watched God go. A crowd of students passed in front of her line of vision and when they moved, God was gone.  
  
'Great. Just great. Go up to the roof and what, twiddle my thumbs?' Moving as fast as she could, still being on crutches, Joan went up the stairwell that lead to the roof, praying that she'd make it there before the bell rang and she was stuck with another day of detention. When she reached the door to the top of the building, it was already open. A freezing winter draft swept through the open door, leaving the stairway frigidly cold.  
  
Suspicious, Joan cautiously pushed the door the rest of the way open. She nearly screamed with terror at the situation that assailed her eyes. Iris, tears still streaming down her cheeks, was standing on the very edge of the five-story building, looking up at the sky. She just stood there, letting the icy wind whip across her upturned face. It seemed almost like she was searching for answers in the gloomy gray snow clouds.  
  
Suddenly, Iris nodded her head, as if she had finally heard the answer she wanted, and spread her arms out from her sides. In the harsh cold, she looked like a graceful eagle waiting to spring off its perch high above the world. 


	2. Miracle

Thank you's go out to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I'm sorry it took longer than I planned to post this but I had trouble tweaking the ending. It was hard to get the ending right but I think I've got it down now. Sorry if it's a bit cheesy but I think the situation called for it. If anyone is interested in being a beta tester for me, please e-mail me at Aurora7948@yahoo.com  
  
Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I didn't capitalize the pronouns for God. It didn't even register in my mind to do it until now. I thought about leaving them that way as a sign of respect, you know, to show that there is no way for me to know what He is thinking but then I decided that it might be considered rude to do that so I have now fixed that problem.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Joan Girardi or Adam Rove. Iris I wouldn't take if you gave her to me (sorry, I agree with Adam and Joan, her voice bugs me.)  
  
Chapter 2: Miracle  
  
Joan's voice caught in her throat as she desperately tried to think of something to say. But what could she say to make Iris want to live again? "Iris...please..." She waited, silently, as the wind howled across the nearly empty rooftop, praying that Iris would say something in response. Iris didn't even look back at her. She just continued crying, staring up into the overcast sky.  
  
"Please stay." Joan feebly tried again to get some sort of reaction out of Iris, begging that the reaction wouldn't be Iris' final event in life.  
  
"What do you care?" Iris spat at Joan. "You never did like the fact that Adam liked me. Well, you finally got what you wanted. He's all yours. So why don't you just go find him and the two of you can enjoy the rest of your fucking fairy tale lives?"  
  
'Just keep her talking. If she's talking, she isn't jumping.' Joan's heart pounded against her ribcage. Her palms were almost dripping with sweat even though the air surrounding her was icy. "Please Iris. I don't want you to do this. And Adam wouldn't either."  
  
"Right...Adam really cares. He cares about as much as you do." Iris sneered, her facial features contorted with pain. "If he cares so much, then why did he break up with me? Oh wait, never mind... I do know why. He broke up with me for you. " Fresh tears glistened on Iris' cheeks.  
  
"He didn't break up with you because of me. He's not even talking to me right now." Joan's brain was still scrambling for things to say, for some way to comfort this obviously lost child. That's all she really was too, just a child. "Just because he broke up with you doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you."  
  
"Yeah, right!" The sarcastic laugh echoed off the brick building. "I'll believe that when I see it."  
  
"I'll call him! Right now! I will! I'll ask him to come here and then you can ask him for yourself." Joan pleaded with the still immobile Iris. "You know him as well as I do. He wouldn't want to see you do this. You know that he still cares."  
  
Joan could almost see the wheels turning in Iris' head. "If I call him and ask him to come here, will you promise not to jump?"  
  
"I'm not making any promises to you. But sure. What the hell. Call him." Iris lowered her arms but didn't move from her perch.  
  
Joan threw her crutches down and leaned up against the doorframe to the stairs. She rummaged through her backpack for a second and then whipped out her cell phone, immediately dialing Adam's home number. She could only wait and hope that he would be there and would pick up.  
  
Ring...  
  
'Come on Adam, please pick up the phone.' Joan mentally implored.  
  
Ring...  
  
'Somebody answer. Please!' Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.  
  
Ring...  
  
Ring...  
  
"Hello." Came an exasperated voice from the other end.  
  
"Oh, thank God! Adam, it's me Joan." An audible sigh came through the phone. Obviously, she had interrupted something. "Please don't hang up!"  
  
"What do you want, Joan?" The contempt in his voice made Joan cringe but she pressed on anyway. Saving Iris's life was worth every stab of pain that he could throw at her.  
  
"You need to come back to school. Now!" She nearly screamed at him.  
  
"And why should I do that?" Joan grimaced as another stab of pain tore at her heart.  
  
"Adam, just please trust me and come to the roof of the school. I'm begging you. Please!" She waited silently, fervently wishing that she hadn't fought with him this morning. The vise grip of panic had constricted her chest, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe. Throughout the entire conversation, Joan's eyes never left Iris, who was just standing there, motionless, seemingly unaffected by the chilling wind.  
  
Finally, Adam replied. "Whatever. If it's really that important, I'll be there in about five minutes"  
  
"Adam, you have no idea how important this is. I'll owe you forever." Joan hung up, mentally thanking every personage of God that she had ever seen that Adam was on his way, regardless of their fight.  
  
Joan turned her attention back to Iris who had remained still throughout the exchange. As time trudged on, Joan began thinking about how she had just roped Adam into this. Guilt immediately overwhelmed her. What if he couldn't handle this after what had happened to his mother? What if Iris jumped and he snapped and followed her? 'I don't think I could handle that.' Joan mentally remarked.  
  
Silently sending yet another prayer that Iris wouldn't jump, Joan slowly limped her way closer to Iris. She stopped when she was within about five feet of her and slowly began to speak. "Iris...please just don't jump. I don't know if Adam can handle it."  
  
"You don't think he could handle it?" Iris, snorted in disgust. "I'm the one standing on the edge of a building and you don't think he could handle it!"  
  
"That's not what I meant! Let me explain!" Joan beseeched, her heart having jumped up into her severely constricted throat. "Adam never told you about his mother, did he?"  
  
"What's she got to do with this?" Iris swept her arms out in front of her, indicating the undeniable situation that she had put them both in, and looked disparagingly at the ground.  
  
"Adam's mother...she..." Joan stammered, not wanting to say the word "killed" at the moment. Unable to come up with any better way of expressing it, Joan just blurted the whole thing out. "She killed herself. She overdosed on some pills." Joan could sense Iris' subtle shift in perception and continued on, not wanting to lose any momentum. "After that, Adam closed himself to the world. He was depressed and nothing could quite get through to him. It wasn't until about two weeks ago that he..." A single tear escaped one of Joan's pleading eyes and streaked down her face as she remembered that morning in her kitchen when her mother had read the note that Adam's Mom had left for him. That moment was too sacred for her to tell anyone, even Iris.  
  
"He began to come alive again... almost like he had woken up from a deep sleep. I don't think he would ever be able to wake up again if you...left him too." Joan let her little speech hang in the air for a minute before she continued. "He wouldn't want you to leave him for good. And I...I don't want you to leave for good either."  
  
Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks and dripping onto the cold stone beneath her feet. "I know we aren't friends," Joan began again, "but I do care about what happens to you. And Adam still cares about you. He doesn't open his heart to many people...so please don't give him a reason to close up again." Her voice drifted off, carried on the wind, as she stood there crying.  
  
Iris' face mirrored Joan's as silent tears fell off her chin as well. Before Iris really had time to reflect on all that she had just heard, the door to the stairs banged open. She turned around to see what had interrupted the deathly silence.  
  
Adam stood, bent over, in the doorframe, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes swept over the scene in front of him, quickly taking in Iris' position on the ledge and Joan's distraught, tear stained face.  
  
"Iris...don't...jump. It...won't...solve...anything." He implored, a terrified expression etched on his features.  
  
"What else should I do?" She shot back, angrily. "When I was young I was beaten and abused. I've had to relive those scenes every day of my life. Until I met you. When I was with you, I never thought about how bad my life had been, I just thought about how happy you made me feel." Finally, Iris broke down in body wrenching sobs of grief and misery. "Why did you stop caring about me?"  
  
"I didn't." Adam replied without a moment's hesitation. "I never have stopped caring about you and I never will."  
  
Again, silence hung heavy in the air, only occasionally breeched by Iris' sobs. Eventually Adam spoke again. "The world can be an ugly place, Iris, but it can also be beautiful. You can't depend on only one person to make it beautiful. People will let you down."  
  
At that statement Iris scoffed, "Yeah, no kidding." Adam ignored the interruption and kept going.  
  
"Don't give up now, Iris. You've barely had a chance to live. Give the world another chance to show you its beauty. Give the world another chance to see your beauty, the way I have."  
  
"What beauty? I'm just a stupid, ugly bitch." came Iris' strained reply.  
  
Joan cut in at that moment. "The beauty of your spirit. You give so much to those around you. You give those children that we watch hope and love. And because that is what they need, they in turn, love, respect and admire you. You are beautiful to them and to Adam and me. You give your time to comfort and support those who have suffered the way you have, and that is beautiful."  
  
"So please, Iris, please stay with us." Adam added. He had worked his way across the roof and was now standing in front of Iris. He slowly reached up and offered her his hand.  
  
With baited breath, Joan watched as Iris reached out a trembling hand and grasped Adam's and stepped down off the ledge. Adam embraced her and supported her as she collapsed into his open arms as all her emotional restraints came crashing to the ground. Iris shed a tear for every bruise, every insult, every stab of pain that she had ever felt. Her body shook with the force of her sobs as Adam just held her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. Tears of joy fell from his eyes as he realized that Iris really wasn't going to kill herself.  
  
One more wet face watched as Adam soothed his torn friend. Joan sat down and leaned against the small brick building that encased the stairwell. Placing her face in her hands, she wept tears of relief and gratitude that Iris had decided not to give up on her life.  
  
When Iris was able to support herself again, Adam placed one arm around her shoulders, his other hand gently clasping onto her arm, and guided her to the stairs.  
  
Still hiccupping as she passed Joan, Iris managed to get two small words out of her mouth. "Thank you." Joan looked up and their eyes briefly met and then Iris and Adam descended the dark staircase.  
  
Joan stayed where she was for another few minutes, thinking. 'What if I hadn't listened to God this time?' She had actually been complaining about getting grounded for skipping class and all the while Iris had been ready to end her life. Joan bowed her head as tears came again, realizing how selfish she had been.  
  
"It's ironic how many people go through their lives without a fraction of the love that you and Adam just showed Iris."  
  
Joan did not even attempt to reply as a teenage God, in His tan coat and blue jeans, sat down next to her and wrapped His arm around her shoulders.  
  
"And fewer people recognize that love even when they do receive it. Both of those things happened here today and that, in short, is a miracle." God finished.  
  
Joan met His eyes, letting the full meaning of the miracle that had just occurred really sink in. With all the energy she had left, she reached over and hugged God, whispering a heartfelt "thank you", so quiet that only He could have heard it.  
  
"You're welcome, Joan. But now I'd better leave. Adam's coming back to get you and I don't think he'd appreciate this scene." Joan and God both gave half-hearted chuckles and then God stood up, breaking Joan's hug, and turned to walk down the stairs. Before He was completely hidden in the shadows of the stairwell, God turned back around and, offering a smile, left Joan with one last thought.  
  
"Remember Joan, miracles really do happen," and then He was gone.  
  
Joan sat just looking at the sky. A thin ray of sunlight had pierced the dismal gray clouds and seemed to be straining to give as much warmth to the earth as it could before it was forced back up into the atmosphere.  
  
For the second time that day, Joan failed to notice Adam as he came towards her. His pulse quickened as he reached the top of the stairs and unwelcome images of Iris standing on that narrow ledge came flooding back into his mind. In a vain attempt to distract himself, he went to sit next to Joan. The sound of his shuffling clothes attracted Joan's attention. She turned and studied his profile as he gazed at the spot on the ledge where a catastrophe had just been averted.  
  
Turning away, Joan asked the question foremost in her mind. "Where's Iris?"  
  
Closing his eyes, Adam replied "I took her down to the counselor's office. I told them what just happened." He sneered then. "Basically, they told me that I had done enough and to go away so that the counselor could call her parents and they could all "talk" to Iris about what she had just thought about doing." Adam paused and ran a shaky hand through his wind-swept hair. "What would have happened if I hadn't come when you told me to? If you hadn't found her to begin with? She would have jumped. And it would have been all my fault." Adam's defenses collapsed and he just cried.  
  
Joan turned and wrapped him in her arms, one hand holding his head against her chest, while the other stroked his back. She let him cry his heart out to her as she gently rocked back and forth, softly hushing him. After a few minutes, she slowly brought his head up so that she was looking into his watery eyes. She rested one hand on his cheek as her other hand came up and pushed some strands of hair off his knitted brow. Bringing both hands to his cheeks, she told him "No one but God knows how many things could have gone wrong today. I'm just grateful that they didn't. It's a miracle and I'll always be grateful for it."  
  
As Joan finished, Adam embraced her, tears still slowly trickling down his cheeks. Silence reigned as they sat there clinging to each other, feeling the wordlessly offered support. "I'm sorry for yelling at you the way I did this morning," he whispered into her ear. "I over-reacted."  
  
"No, it was my fault," Joan responded, pulling back so that she could look him in the face. "I never should have tried to blame you. I'm the one who has to say I'm sorry."  
  
"Let's just say that we're both sorry and be done with it." Adam said, a half smile crossing his tired face. Feeling the pressure of the unseen weight of the day slowly lifting from his shoulders, Adam realized just how tired he was. Wiping away the last of his tears with the sleeve of his hoody, Adam turned to Joan. "Well, we'd better get out of here. I'm completely worn out. I definitely need to go home and relax."  
  
"Yeah, but I can't go home. If my Mom comes home for lunch and finds me there without the usual trip to the office, she'll ground me on the spot, no questions asked." Joan sighed. Her brain was so exhausted that she didn't realize how simple it would be to explain her actions to her parents. Her thoughts were focused basically in the present, conversing with Adam was burning enough neurons already.  
  
"I'm gonna be the only one home for a while. My dad is working evenings this week and won't be home for at least another six hours, so I guess you can come hang out at my place until after school lets out. At least then you might be able to get a word of explanation out as you walk through the door before they ground you."  
  
"Sounds like a plan."  
  
Adam stood up and seeing Joan's crutches thrown down close by, picked them up. He then offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. "I'll carry that," he said and before she could even protest, Adam picked up her backpack and started down the stairs.  
  
With one last glance back at the ledge, Joan turned and followed Adam down the stairs and out of the building, thanking God every step of the way for every miracle that he had ever given her. 


	3. Ready

AN: I know that Adam is very OOC but I couldn't figure out any other way to handle the situation. Oh well. Still looking for someone to beta for me. If you're interested, write it a review or send me an e-mail. HAHA!!! BTW, I also just realized that I can have Italics if I preview/quick edit the chapter. But, I'm also too lazy to fix the other chapters so it's only good from here on out.  
  
Chapter 3: Ready  
  
The walk to Adam's house was silent; each was consumed with their own thoughts and emotions. Adam was a step in front of Joan and she couldn't help but notice the slight hunch in his shoulders and the shuffling of his weary feet. It had been an emotionally exhausting day for both of them.  
  
"Adam, I can go home if you want me to." Joan mumbled, hoping that he would say no.  
  
"Naw, Jane." Adam replied slowly. "I don't really want to be alone right now." He turned to look at her and their eyes locked. That brief moment of connection was all Joan needed. She knew how he felt; she didn't want to be alone either.  
  
They continued on, Adam's slow pace making up for Joan's ineptitude on crutches. Silence prevailed until they reached Adam's house and were safely inside.  
  
"Sorry, it's a bit messy. Give me a minute to straighten up a little." Adam apologized while depositing his and Joan's backpacks and jackets in the tiny coat closet next to the front door. Following as Joan moved into the living room, Adam began gathering up all the magazines and junk that he and his father had left scattered about the room. His hands full of miscellaneous clutter, Adam made for the stairway. "Be right back," he commented offhandedly as he slowly trudged up the narrow stairway.  
  
By this time Joan had collapsed onto the small couch in the living room, grateful for the sanctuary that this home provided for her, even though it was only temporary. Eventually, she would have to face her Mom and Dad and tell them what had happened during her seemingly endless day. But that would come later. She put her head back against the slightly worn fabric and closed her eyes, relishing her moment of relaxation.  
  
A few minutes later, Adam reappeared in the stairway. Making his way towards the couch, Adam couldn't help but smile. In the short time that he had been gone, Joan had fallen fast asleep while sitting upright on his couch. Gently, making sure that he didn't wake her, Adam pushed Joan until she was lying down, her head resting on a throw pillow. Grabbing a blanket from off the back of the couch, Adam tenderly covered Joan up. For a moment, he just stood there, transfixed by her innocent and peaceful face. The serenity of the scene had a calming effect on him as he watched the steady rhythm of her breathing.  
  
After a moment more of admiring her, Adam quietly left the house and entered his own sanctuary. He began gathering wire and scrap metal together, his need to release some of his pent up emotions drove any thoughts of sleep out of his mind. Hours passed but all Adam could think about was his art, his craft, his freedom. Working through his exhaustion, Adam managed to finish one sculpture and was in the midst of finishing a second when a small knock on the door caught his attention.  
  
"Hey," came Joan's small voice from the doorway. Still wrapped in the blanket that Adam had used to cover her up, Joan carefully limped towards his workbench and sat down on a large wooden crate. "It's freezing in here. Aren't your fingers numb?"  
  
Moving to sit next to her, Adam rubbed his hands together. They felt like ice and he realized that in his haste to create the sculptures he had forgotten to turn on the space heater, leaving only intermittent bouts of heat from the use of his blowtorch to warm the small shed.  
  
"I didn't really notice until you said something." Adam replied sheepishly. Then to his surprise, Joan quickly scooted next to him and wrapped her arm and half the blanket around his shoulders.  
  
"It's big enough for the both of us." Joan stated. Removing her arm from around his shoulders, she began staring at his newest creations. "They're beautiful," she whispered, "But they're so sad."  
  
With her attention captivate by the small but powerful sculptures, Joan didn't notice as Adam slowly reached his hand towards hers. Trembling, Adam slowly brought her hand into his, intertwining their fingers.  
  
"I named the first one _Pain_. I just couldn't get the image of Iris out of my head and I can't stop thinking about all of the pain I've put her through. She didn't deserve it." Adam paused and looked down at the floor for a moment before looking over at Joan. "It shouldn't have happened because I knew what I wanted the whole time. I was just too stupid to wait for it."  
  
Slowly, Joan turned and faced him, her eyes searching his, attempting to determine if he meant what she thought he meant.  
  
"The second one is named _Forgiveness_." Adam continued. "I made that one for you. I want you to know how sorry I am that I gave you so much pain. I should have been patient and waited. I know that now."  
  
Without realizing it, Joan had begun to cry. The combination of the sculpture and Adam's apology had made Joan feel like the most special person in the world. Tears of joy streamed down her face as Adam finished talking.  
  
"I know you weren't ready before and that you might not be now but I'm willing to wait Jane. I don't to be with anyone but you." Bringing his free hand up to her face, he slowly wiped away her tears and gently caressed her cheek. His eyes searched hers, desperate to know her answer but unwilling to force her if she still felt that the time wasn't right.  
  
"Adam...I don't know...what to say." Joan stammered. Her head was spinning with the realization that Adam felt the same way that she did. But she still didn't know if she was ready to jump, or if he was truly ready to catch her.  
  
Lowering his hand from her face and looking back at the small sculptures, Adam quickly began speaking again. "It's ok if you don't answer now Jane. Like I said, I'm willing to wait this time."  
  
His expression was so sincere that Joan could only smile and nod in response. He had given her the space she needed to make sure the time was right. With one simple sentence he had lifted the pressure off of her shoulders. In that instant, Joan knew beyond all her fears and doubts that she wanted to be Adam Rove's girlfriend. With what felt like thousands of butterflies swarming around in her stomach, Joan looked down at their clasped hands, catching Adam's attention as he turned back to her.  
  
"Adam, I'm ready." Adam's jaw hit the floor, and his eyes glazed over. He wasn't sure if he had actually heard that last remark or not. His mind raced as all the implications of those three words sunk in. He watched, seemingly in slow motion, as Joan lowly leaned towards him. Grinning from ear to ear, Adam leaned towards Joan and their lips met in a tender, and somewhat hesitant, kiss. The world around them melted away as they shared their first kiss as an official couple.  
  
Adam closed his eyes, concentrating solely on the sensations coursing through his body. Never when he had kissed Iris had he felt so alive. His mind was flying higher than a kite and he felt the only thing keeping him from going in a hundred different directions at once was his skin.  
  
Unfortunately, the kiss had to end sometime and the two slowly separated from each other. Each could still feel the lingering presence of the others lips on their own. Languidly opening his eyes, Adam watched as a contented smile played on Joan's face. She still had her eyes closed and Adam could tell that she had relished the kiss as much as he had.  
  
With a very uncharacteristic giddy chuckle, Adam began to play with his hands, not quite sure what to do with them. The small sound was enough to make Joan come back down to earth and she leisurely opened her eyes. 'Wow' was still the only coherent thought that passed through her brain.  
  
"I...uh...should probably be getting home." Joan commented, unsure of what else to do or say in the situation. Things were happening so fast and she just needed to be given some time to digest it all before any other shocking developments occurred.  
  
"Yeah...I guess you're right." Adam reluctantly admitted before standing up and walking towards the door of the shed. "Stay here. I'll go get your stuff." Without further ado, he left he tiny shed and made his way into the empty house. Somewhere off in the distance of the house a clock chimed the hour.  
  
Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...Bong...  
  
Adam groaned slightly, knowing that his Dad would be home in less than twenty minutes. He didn't want to have a conversation with his Dad tonight. He was too worn out from everything that had happened that day to spend an hour or more explaining to his Dad how his day had been. Grabbing Joan's crutches, coat, and backpack, he quickly made his way back to the shed. With any luck he could get Joan home and make it back and be in bed before his Dad got home.  
  
Soon the two were once again walking together down empty streets. This time, however, they were walking next to each other and the silence that prevailed was not one of discomfort but one of understanding. Joan and Adam both knew that they couldn't handle anymore abnormal circumstances that day.  
  
When the Girardi porch came into view, the silence deepened into one fraught with tension. They stopped in front of the driveway and Adam handed Joan the book bag that again he had refused to let her carry. Standing there, staring at one another, neither one knew what to do. They didn't want to do anything that would upset the other. Finally, knowing that she would have to do something before her parents noticed them standing there looking like idiots, Joan mustered up all the courage she had, gave Adam a quick peck on the cheek and rushed into the house. Over her shoulder she yelled, "Thanks for walking me home Adam! Good night!"  
  
A little dazed and confused, Adam stood there for a second and watched as Joan reached her front door and disappeared into the house.  
  
"Good night, Jane." He whispered as he turned and began jogging back towards his own house. He still had a chance to make it home before his Dad, if he was lucky that was.  
  
Inside the Girardi household, Joan slowly limped her way into the kitchen after having disposed of her coat and crutches in the living room. The smell of homemade chili wafted through the house and Joan's mouth began to water as she approached the source of the delectable smell. Helen was standing next to the giant kettle, stirring it absentmindedly. Before her Mom had a chance to ground her, Joan quickly began speaking.  
  
"Mom, I'm sorry I'm home so late but today really sucked. I thought it would never end." She paused attempting to gauge her mother's reaction to her whiny explanation, hoping that she would buy into it.  
  
"Where _were you_, Joan Girardi?" Helen questioned with a piercing glare. "And why did you skip school today?"  
  
Heaving a sigh Joan started in on exactly how her day had been. "I'm sorry about skipping today but I had to do something really important. Iris was going to kill herself today by jumping off the school building and if it hadn't been for Adam and I she really might have jumped. I went with Adam afterwards because he said he didn't want to be alone. I mean his ex- girlfriend almost committed suicide today. He needed someone to be there for him. And while I was there I kind of fell asleep on his sofa. When I woke up, I came home." Somehow, without stopping for breath, Joan had managed to spit out exactly what had happened to her that day.  
  
Helen's face went from one of motherly disapproval to one of shock. Her jaw was hanging loosely on its hinges and she couldn't even begin to respond to Joan's out pouring of information. Slowly, Helen closed her mouth and nodded to Joan.  
  
"Well, I guess those were good reasons to skip class and to stay out late." Helen haltingly stated. Unsure if she should give her a small punishment for penance or hug her and reward her for being so caring and giving, Helen simply smiled. "You should eat quickly and then go to bed. There's some left over soup in the fridge that you can heat up. Tomorrow, you and I will go to the office and talk to Mr. Price about why you skipped. Even he has to understand that it was for a good cause this time."  
  
With an unbelieving smile and nod of her head Joan said "Yeah that sounds like a good idea Mom." Her mind was still in a state of shock. She had never expected her mother to forgive her this easily. Still reeling with the effects of her Mom's words, Joan grabbed the soup from the fridge and threw it in the microwave. After two minutes of awkward silence the microwave beeped and Joan grabbed her dinner and walked into the dining room. Before she had sat down though, she stopped and looked at Helen.  
  
"Thanks, Mom, for being so cool about this." Joan sat down at the set table and quickly ate her dinner. Immediately after she finished her soup, Joan headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas. Laying her head on her pillow, she lulled herself to sleep with thoughts that tomorrow would be fresh and she had nothing to worry about... yet.


End file.
